Do your children like operating machines (when you let them)?

[letsgomaths]

By that, I mean things like pressing the button for the green man, or to open train doors, call lifts, being lifted up to post a letter, and so on? Do they enjoy that little bit of power of "making something happen"?

As children, my brother and I loved such things - in fact, we would fight over who got to open train doors: sliding ones were a bit of a novelty in the 1980s. I liked dialling numbers (on an actual telephone dial). My dad quipped that whenever he announced we were going to a museum, we always had the same question: "will there be buttons to press?".

DS who is 3 loves a cash point.

Perhaps they're all on their devices so much, that train doors are no longer exciting!

DS 4 loves them. He thinks the best treat is being allowed to use the screw driver (with close grandad supervision)

2nd best is the hosepipe to water the plants.

Yes. Mine love pressing lift and crossing buttons. Eldest has now taken control of the TV remote.

All older now but all 3 loved it when they were little! DS2 is 10 and the last thing like this that remains is that he still likes to be in charge of using the self checkout when we're shopping

My dad got me to put petrol in the car, which I loved doing, until a member of staff told him that under-16s were not allowed to do this.

Yes.

DS (7) has just discovered the joys of the hand blender. Its cost me a fortune in fruit and yogurt as he makes his own smoothies now as has DD (14) for some time as well

The microwave seems popular too

DS1 loves operating his dad's circular saw.

Before anyone gets in a froth at our lax parenting, DS is 22

DD aged 3 loves making coffee in my dolce gusto machine. She puts the pod in and presses the buttons and pulls the lever that makes the water flow. She's obviously closely supervised but it's good for her motor skills

She also likes pressing the button on the crossing and the buttons on the microwave

My nephews fight over who gets to press the buttons in the lift. They're 4 and 2.

Not my children, me.

I used to be positively obsessed with machines and devices of all kinds. One of the biggest meltdowns of my childhood, apparently, happened when my parents - somewhat understandably, I have to admit in hindsight - insisted that, no, I absolutely was not, under any circumstances, going to be allowed to help make firewood out of logs. With an axe. I was 7.

To absolutely nobody's surprise, I went on to become an engineer.

Also my washer isn't safe if they're over. It beeps when you press the buttons and littlest thinks it's great fun to play with. I've taken to switching it off at the wall now after he managed to put it on a four hour hot wash! Was only towels, thankfully. Not sure my clothes would have survived!

At 7, DS loved lifts so much that in Orlando airport he rushed into the lift and eagerly pressed the button for the floor we needed, without checking if we were also in the lift. We were not - he hadn't been pushing a trolley like us so had streaked ahead. The lift went off without him and all we could hear was him shrieking. A kind airport staff member kept an eye on him when he got on at a different level. Didn't stop his enthusiasm for airports though, he works in one now

*without us, not him. He was in the lift.

My son was always into fiddling about with tools and nuts and bolts when he was about 6 or 7. he was always helping his Dad to fix cars in the garage.Then when he was about 9, he built himself a computer in his bedroom. my son is over 40 now,but his Dad,now my late Husband, used to encourage him in all these types of things.

There was a time at primary school when I was far more interested in the slide projector than whatever our teacher was using it for to show us; so having told me off for not concentrating, she then made me operate it. I was secretly delighted, while outwardly sheepish about being told off.

My brother loved pushing buttons when he was little. Once he managed to sneak away from my mum in M&S and press the emergency stop button on the escalator. He was a terror.